


Caged

by stellaisnotamermaid



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Kidnapping, M/M, Magic Reveal, and are ooc, bandits, i can totally write, i cannot type oh my lord, multiple story endings, whoa two fics in one night? and both have horeible tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-11
Updated: 2018-12-11
Packaged: 2019-09-16 03:45:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16946373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stellaisnotamermaid/pseuds/stellaisnotamermaid
Summary: Merlin wakes up alone in a cell after being kidnapped by bandits.Were riches really the reason that they were captured?JUST AN FYI THIS IS REALLY BAD SO PROBABLY DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME READING IT. I HAVE A COUPLE DECENT MERLIN FICS BUT THIS IS NOT ONE OF THEM. I WANT TO DELETE IT BUT THE COMMENTS MAKE ME HAPPY SO. IT'S STAYING.





	Caged

**Author's Note:**

> hahaha i can't tag and i have writers block but who cares. anyway there are multiple endings.  
> disclaimer: i own nothing bc i do not have a job.

When Merlin came to, he was chained to a cell wall. Typically, bandits weren't able to catch them. This time, it had just been him and Arthur. And Arthur hadn't given Merlin an inch to breathe, let alone secretly knock out all of the bandits with tree branches that just-so-happened to fall on their heads.

Arthur was nowhere in sight.

Merlin closed his eyes and focused. He stretched out a wave of magic, trying to feel for other life forms. Particularly his boyfriend.

He was without success and it took him a minute to realize why--the walls of the cell were made out of iron. Not a high enough concentration to stop his magic entirely, but enough to dull his abilities.

Merlin took a deep breath, trying to calm his panic. Just when he relaxed(as much as somebody in his situation could), the cell door swung open and Arthur was shoved into the 12 by 5 by 6 foot space.

“We'll be back,” The man snarled, then left them. Arthur rushed over to Merlin as soon as his footsteps receded. “You wouldn't wake up and I was so scared and they threatened to kill you if I didn't go along with them.”

Merlin sat up and coughed. Blood. That couldn't be good. Arthur threw his arms around Merlin, who did his best to reciprocate the hug with his hands chained to the cell wall. His wrists itched where the iron shackles rubbed at them.

Unshed tears of relief stung at Merlin's eyes. “I'm glad that you're okay,” he murmured. “Who are they? What do they want, if they're not just regular bandits?”

“Cenred's men. They're trying to find the sorcerer that's protecting Camelot--as if anybody would protect somebody that would rather have them dead. Apparently his name is Emrys, or something.”

Merlin coughed and pulled away from Arthur. “Why do they think you would even know that? You hate magic almost as much as your father did.”

Arthur frowned. “No, I don't. I'm fine with the peaceful users, like druids. How many executions for sorcerers have there been since I became king other than those who killed another man?”

Merlin paused, then realized: none. “Oh,” he began. “My mistake.”

“We need to find a way out of here.” Arthur announced, standing back up. His head brushed the ceiling.

“Maybe they'll just let us go when they realize that you don't know who this Emrys is?” Merlin suggested.

“Merlin,” Arthur said. “They believe that I do. They say that he's somebody close to me--how else could he ‘save’ me all the time?”

“Well if he's the greatest sorcerer in all of Albion like they say, he could probably do it from wherever he lives.”

“True,” Arthur mused. Then: “I never said he was the greatest sorcerer, Merlin.”

“Come with me,” a gruff voice said. They both jumped; neither had noticed Cenred's man sneak up on them.

“I was just there not five minutes ago,” Arthur frowned.

“Not you,” he replied. “The servant.”

Merlin stood up and backed into the corner. The man walked into the cell and unlocked Merlin's shackles. “Don't even think about trying to escape, your Highness.” He warned. Merlin felt a blade touch his neck. “I'll slit this one's neck before you can even blink.”

He was forced up the stairs into a throne room.

“So,” Cenred said. “You're the boy that has the King of Camelot trekking all over Albion. Pathetic.”

Merlin bit his tongue so as to not reply.

“Who is he?”

“Arthur? You just said it yourself--he's the Kin-” he got interrupted with a kick to the side of his ribs. He hissed in pain. “What was that for? I answered your question.”

“Don't play games with me, boy. You know what I meant: who is the sorcerer? You're close enough to the King that you'd see something.”

“As far as I know, there are not any other sorcerers close to Arthur.” Merlin replied.

ending one:

“Other?” Arthur's voice sounded from the far side of the room. Merlin hadn't heard him be brought up the stairs.

Merlin froze. He hadn't wanted Arthur to find out about it this way.

“You?” His voice cracked. “You lied to me? How could you I-” he cut himself off. “I trusted you.”

“This is all very entertaining,” Cenred interrupted. “But I believe I'm trying to catch myself a warlock.”

Merlin stood up, fighting back tears. “Well you caught him.”

He didn't look at Arthur as he whispered the words, he couldn't. An incantation passed his lips and everybody in the room got thrown back as though a huge wind had swept through the room. Everybody but Arthur, that was. Merlin fell to the ground, sobbing.

“I'm sorry,” he whispered. “I'm sorry. I'm sorry.” He felt Arthur's hand on his shoulder and jumped in surprise.

“Let's go. We can talk about this on the way back.”

“I'm sorry,” Merlin repeated, putting all of bis weight on Arthur as he stood up.

ending two:

“Well that's a relief,” Arthur's voice sounded from the other side of the room. “I'm glad to know that I'm not as ignorant as you seem to think I am.”

Merlin whirled around, ignoring his captors. “Arthur? When did you-”

“Find out? Ages ago. You're not as subtle as you want to be. I was angry at first, but--I understand why you didn't tell me. It hurts that you didn't trust me, but I get it.”

ending two a:

“I mean, I did the same thing.” Arthur whispered a word and his eyes flashed gold. The man near Merlin fell to the ground, unconscious.

“What?” Merlin managed, the few words coming out strangled. “How long-” He cut himself off, and turned to Cenred. He flicked his wrist and the Cenred collapsed in his throne. “We should go,”

“We should,” Arthur agreed.

ending two b:

“We should get back to Camelot soon,” Arthur said.

Merlin nodded wordlessly, and without so much as a blink, the men around them fainted. “I'm sorry.” He said, following Arthur out of the building. “I've wanted to tell you every single day--first to put you in your place, but then because you were my friend, and then because you were something more.”

“But I couldn't--first because you would have seen me to the pyre. I was a stranger. Then I didn't want to put you in the place of having to lie to your father. After he died… it had been to long, I no longer knew how to tell you.”

“Merlin,” Arthur interrupted. “I understand.” He pressed a light kiss to Merlin's lips, then pulled back. “I already told you that. Let's go.”


End file.
